Marathoners & 8K'ers enjoyed great running weather this past Saturday in the Richmond races. Congratulations to all who ran. Sandy Cullen completed her first marathon at age 67 (talk about inspiration). Mary Ellen Kinser qualified to run the Boston Marathon. Corinne Luck looked great in the 8K sporting her new Ashland Track Club shirt. Great job to all the Grub Kitty runners, especially Kirk Jeter who ran his first marathon.
If you haven't heard, we're having a very unofficial Turkey Trot here in Ashland. Come on out, it should be fun.
Details:
Thursday - November 22 - 9:00 - "First Ever, Most Unofficial Ashland Turkey Trot" - Carter Park (Ashland Pool) 10K 5K & kids 1/2 mile & 1 mile - if you're going to be in town, come down to Carter Park Thanksgiving morning -
10K will start at 9:00 - 5K at 9:15 - Kids runs at 10:30. 10K & 5K will follow the Ashland Harvest Run routes -NO ROAD CLOSURES - so you'll have dodge your way through the traffic crossing Ashcake & 54 (kids races on the
paths behind the pool). Winners will have the race named after them next year. Volunteers needed to watch kids while adults run (you will be handsomely rewarded). Prize to family with the most out-of-town relatives participating & the runner who traveled the furthest. All runners responsible for recording there own time.
Results will be published on http://www.townhound.com/blog/run.php. More details as the race gets closer.
Starbucks run - Friday at 6:00 a.m.
See ya on the streets,
Tom
Archive for November of 2007
Turkey Trot & Richmond Marathon & 8K
November 15, 2007OBX Half Marathon Adventure
November 13, 2007
We made back to Ashland about 9:00 p.m. Sunday night after running the half-marathon in the Outer Banks starting at 7:00 a.m. Below is Dave Klisz's race report, I feel like I should pay him 1/2 of what I get for doing this blog ;>) Dave has done a great job summarizing the race. If you're looking for race with a post-race party, OBX is the race for you! As you may gather from Dave's report, his enthusiasm and support make running these races fun. He had the whole shuttle bus cheering as each runner entered the bus to take their seat for the ride back to the start point. Thanks to Dave, Bryan (driver), and Bob (accomodations) for making this a very enjoyable trip for me. We were sorry that Bubba had to back out at the last minute, but he was there in our jokes :>)
Dave's report:
Outer Banks Half Marathon: Race Report
After watching a few of my training partners run part of the Richmond Marathon
and encouraging them on with my obnoxious cowbell, I met up with Tom, Bob, and
Bryan near the Diamond. Thankfully, someone brought me a chicken sandwich
because I was getting pretty hungary waiting around. Due to road closures,
getting around Richmond on November 10 was a little tricky.
The trip to the outer banks went by very fast. In true college style, we acted
as if we were on a regular road trip. It seemed we were at the expo in no time!
Parking was pretty crowded but the expo was well organized. We got our packets
with absolutely no problems.
Bob's parents have a place forty-five minutes south of the commercial areas of
Nags Head and Kitty Hawk. Our trip farther south was well worth the effort
because we dined at one of the finest pizza places in all of Avon: Topper's.
Maybe we were just hungry but the pizza was pretty darn good. Fortunately,
Bryan's car ran on fumes because the $3.34/gallon price for gas was a little
steep.
With food in our bellies and more adult beverages in our possession, we headed
back for a relaxing evening of going through our expo bags and performing other
pre-race rituals. The only beer we had was whatever Bob could salvage afte I
dropped it all in the parking lot!
A 7am race start time coupled with a 45 minute drive to the start forced
everyone to get up early, very early. I think someone had the coffee going at
4:15am or maybe even earlier. We left the house at 5:30am and parked the car at
the YMCA by 6:15. We didn't really know where the exact start of the race was
so we just followed everyone else. It was somewhere between mileposts 10 and 11
east of the bypass.
The start area was as chaotic as any area where thousands of people are all
waiting to start running in the same direction. It was also pretty cold and
windy. The race organizers had some corrals set up to separate the runners but
Bob and I just waited in the middle of the pack. Tom and Bryan inched forward
and had a good starting position. The start of the half marathon was very close
to the halfway mark of the full marathon. This was the first race I've been to
where organizers were handing out water at the start.
Someone sang "God Bless the USA" followed by the National Anthem. It was very
nice. The race started on time and we were off! The course was a "one-way"
course, meaning if there was no shuttle at the end, we were SOL!
The first few miles were uneventful as most races are. The pack of people
stretched out some but not as much as I hoped. Some runners turned walkers
stayed too many abreast. A good reminder for next time is to get father up at
the start to avoid the walkers.
Miles 1 and 2 were on route 158. We ran past Jockey's Ridge which was pretty
cool. The sun came out and all runners without visors, such as me, had the sun
right in our faces.
After mile 2, the course went west and made a horseshoe through a residential
area. Pretty views of the Albemarle Sound were hard to miss. Some of the more
enthusiastic spectators were in this area. They had some loud music and were
clearly in a festive mood.
The fourth mile put us back onto 158 before looping yet again through another
residential area. This loop put us straight into a headwind. All of the running
to this point had been with a tailwind. I knew sooner or later we would lose
that.
The course was flat with the exception of very slight inclines here and there
in the residential areas. Route 158 is totally flat and comprised the easiest
part of the course. Some of the pre-race listerature and web posting indicated
there was a trail section of the course. Perhaps the reference was being made
to the full marathon course because I never saw any trail.
At mile 8, the course took a westerly direction to follow 158 across the sound
and onto Roanoke Island. Turning west brought the tailwind to a crosswind.
Running with a crosswind wasn't too bad. When we got on the bridge, I found
running in the middle of the road broke some of the wind's force.
About a half mile onto the bridge (approximately mile 9 of the race), I could
see the hundreds (ok, maybe a thousand or more) of people in front of me
running up the steep part of the roadway. It was pretty cool to see. The bridge
looked very steep from afar but when I got up there, I had very little
difficulty. I think the hill training I did on Blunts Bridge Road really paid
off. Prior to the hill, I had been pacing behind a runner at a 8:45 pace. This
person was really moving but I was keeping up. Once we got to the hill, the
runner I was following slowed up considerably. I maintained an even-effort on
the bridge and was quite pleased with myself once I got to the top. I smoked
the downhill part and made my way onto Roanoke Island.
There was a significantly higher police presence on Roanoke Island (Dare
County). On the barrier islands, we saw more firefighters than police standing
at intersections, etc. On Roanoke Island, it was all police. We had wondered
earlier if there were enough police in the various towns to handle the race.
Just before the 12 mile mark the course turned north. This put all runners
directly into a headwind. I think everyone knew this was coming. It wasn't too
bad because the end was near!
At mile 13, the course turned right and the fnish was in the "downtown" section
of Manteo. I ran a personal best in 1:57:04 at the OBX half. OBX was my fifth
half marathon race and I performed much better than the Patrick Henry race. I
think weather has a lot to do with it but sometimes the planets are in
alignment and things really work out.
The post-race party was the best I've ever been to. I ran a ten mile race in
Annapolis earlier in the fall which had plenty of refreshments but OBX was
better. At the finish, runners got their finishing medals, a towel, choice of
water or gatorade (personal bottles!) and then a wristband for beer! Volunteers
were moving people through but no one was rushing anyone. It was a good
balance. I picked up a beer and found Bryan and Tom. Tom ran a personal best as
well and Bryan finished 29th in his age group. Tom was 13th is his age group!
Well done! Bob came though the finish and knocked several minutes off his
Baltimore Half Marathon time. Congratulations Ashland Bob!
We ran into some former YMCA Half Marathon Training Team folks (Glen and
Elaine-they are running the Las Vegas half marathon in a few weeks) and
generally warmed up in the sunshine. The streets were closed off and the Manteo
area was really cool. Very quaint with a hint of a "euro" feel.
After about an hour, a guy from Budwesier walked over to our group and said
there was free beer and free food if we followed him. We weren't really in a
position to argue because most of were 4 beers into our allotted six (which is
pretty good for an after race party-but this is NC and not VA where the rules
seem to be more strict regarding alcohol).
We "sampled" different types of Budweiser products and other people eventually
made their way into the beer garden where we were. This was not the marathon
village area. We never made it there! It was a long walk from the UPS bag check
area. Therre may have been a band in the village area but we were quite content
with the hippie musicians who were playing at the Budweiser area.
The was a pig roasting on a large outdoor grill but the actual barbeque was
being prepared somewhere else. Due to the way the sun was shining, we were
standing behind the stage area and listening to the music. It was too cold in
the shade!
All good things must come to an end and we finally made our way to the shuttle
buses so we could get back to our car which was parked at the YMCA. There was
very little waiting time. Many half folks had left the area. Full marathon
finishers were coming in one after another but we couldn't take beer to the
spectator area. I would have liked to see the marathon finishers coming down
the chute. It just wasn't set up that way. But there was plenty of spectator
support along the way.
Overall, a good race experience. It's definitely something I would do again but
as long as the Richmond and OBX races fall on the same weekend, there will
always be a conflict. I think the logistics were good. There was plenty of
watger/gatorade, etc. I think running across the sound over the last few miles
was the best part of the course.
I knew around mile 5 that I might be able to break two hours. I had established
a 2:04 time goal and was carrying the split times for that time goal. I felt
very good and after running ahead of bob, I was able to make up some of the
time I lost at the beginning. I think this was the first time I ran true
negative splits for the last few miles in a double-digit race (9:27 is a 2:04
pace for the half marathon):
110:08 (with bob)
2 9:50 (with bob)
3 8:55 (had to leave bob )
4 9:06
5 8:56
6 8:55
7 8:57
8 8:46
9 8:42
10 8:46
11 8:24
12 8:12
13 8:09
I think I remember Bob saying he would run the full marathon next year if only
someone would pace him....
Dave's report:
Outer Banks Half Marathon: Race Report
After watching a few of my training partners run part of the Richmond Marathon
and encouraging them on with my obnoxious cowbell, I met up with Tom, Bob, and
Bryan near the Diamond. Thankfully, someone brought me a chicken sandwich
because I was getting pretty hungary waiting around. Due to road closures,
getting around Richmond on November 10 was a little tricky.
The trip to the outer banks went by very fast. In true college style, we acted
as if we were on a regular road trip. It seemed we were at the expo in no time!
Parking was pretty crowded but the expo was well organized. We got our packets
with absolutely no problems.
Bob's parents have a place forty-five minutes south of the commercial areas of
Nags Head and Kitty Hawk. Our trip farther south was well worth the effort
because we dined at one of the finest pizza places in all of Avon: Topper's.
Maybe we were just hungry but the pizza was pretty darn good. Fortunately,
Bryan's car ran on fumes because the $3.34/gallon price for gas was a little
steep.
With food in our bellies and more adult beverages in our possession, we headed
back for a relaxing evening of going through our expo bags and performing other
pre-race rituals. The only beer we had was whatever Bob could salvage afte I
dropped it all in the parking lot!
A 7am race start time coupled with a 45 minute drive to the start forced
everyone to get up early, very early. I think someone had the coffee going at
4:15am or maybe even earlier. We left the house at 5:30am and parked the car at
the YMCA by 6:15. We didn't really know where the exact start of the race was
so we just followed everyone else. It was somewhere between mileposts 10 and 11
east of the bypass.
The start area was as chaotic as any area where thousands of people are all
waiting to start running in the same direction. It was also pretty cold and
windy. The race organizers had some corrals set up to separate the runners but
Bob and I just waited in the middle of the pack. Tom and Bryan inched forward
and had a good starting position. The start of the half marathon was very close
to the halfway mark of the full marathon. This was the first race I've been to
where organizers were handing out water at the start.
Someone sang "God Bless the USA" followed by the National Anthem. It was very
nice. The race started on time and we were off! The course was a "one-way"
course, meaning if there was no shuttle at the end, we were SOL!
The first few miles were uneventful as most races are. The pack of people
stretched out some but not as much as I hoped. Some runners turned walkers
stayed too many abreast. A good reminder for next time is to get father up at
the start to avoid the walkers.
Miles 1 and 2 were on route 158. We ran past Jockey's Ridge which was pretty
cool. The sun came out and all runners without visors, such as me, had the sun
right in our faces.
After mile 2, the course went west and made a horseshoe through a residential
area. Pretty views of the Albemarle Sound were hard to miss. Some of the more
enthusiastic spectators were in this area. They had some loud music and were
clearly in a festive mood.
The fourth mile put us back onto 158 before looping yet again through another
residential area. This loop put us straight into a headwind. All of the running
to this point had been with a tailwind. I knew sooner or later we would lose
that.
The course was flat with the exception of very slight inclines here and there
in the residential areas. Route 158 is totally flat and comprised the easiest
part of the course. Some of the pre-race listerature and web posting indicated
there was a trail section of the course. Perhaps the reference was being made
to the full marathon course because I never saw any trail.
At mile 8, the course took a westerly direction to follow 158 across the sound
and onto Roanoke Island. Turning west brought the tailwind to a crosswind.
Running with a crosswind wasn't too bad. When we got on the bridge, I found
running in the middle of the road broke some of the wind's force.
About a half mile onto the bridge (approximately mile 9 of the race), I could
see the hundreds (ok, maybe a thousand or more) of people in front of me
running up the steep part of the roadway. It was pretty cool to see. The bridge
looked very steep from afar but when I got up there, I had very little
difficulty. I think the hill training I did on Blunts Bridge Road really paid
off. Prior to the hill, I had been pacing behind a runner at a 8:45 pace. This
person was really moving but I was keeping up. Once we got to the hill, the
runner I was following slowed up considerably. I maintained an even-effort on
the bridge and was quite pleased with myself once I got to the top. I smoked
the downhill part and made my way onto Roanoke Island.
There was a significantly higher police presence on Roanoke Island (Dare
County). On the barrier islands, we saw more firefighters than police standing
at intersections, etc. On Roanoke Island, it was all police. We had wondered
earlier if there were enough police in the various towns to handle the race.
Just before the 12 mile mark the course turned north. This put all runners
directly into a headwind. I think everyone knew this was coming. It wasn't too
bad because the end was near!
At mile 13, the course turned right and the fnish was in the "downtown" section
of Manteo. I ran a personal best in 1:57:04 at the OBX half. OBX was my fifth
half marathon race and I performed much better than the Patrick Henry race. I
think weather has a lot to do with it but sometimes the planets are in
alignment and things really work out.
The post-race party was the best I've ever been to. I ran a ten mile race in
Annapolis earlier in the fall which had plenty of refreshments but OBX was
better. At the finish, runners got their finishing medals, a towel, choice of
water or gatorade (personal bottles!) and then a wristband for beer! Volunteers
were moving people through but no one was rushing anyone. It was a good
balance. I picked up a beer and found Bryan and Tom. Tom ran a personal best as
well and Bryan finished 29th in his age group. Tom was 13th is his age group!
Well done! Bob came though the finish and knocked several minutes off his
Baltimore Half Marathon time. Congratulations Ashland Bob!
We ran into some former YMCA Half Marathon Training Team folks (Glen and
Elaine-they are running the Las Vegas half marathon in a few weeks) and
generally warmed up in the sunshine. The streets were closed off and the Manteo
area was really cool. Very quaint with a hint of a "euro" feel.
After about an hour, a guy from Budwesier walked over to our group and said
there was free beer and free food if we followed him. We weren't really in a
position to argue because most of were 4 beers into our allotted six (which is
pretty good for an after race party-but this is NC and not VA where the rules
seem to be more strict regarding alcohol).
We "sampled" different types of Budweiser products and other people eventually
made their way into the beer garden where we were. This was not the marathon
village area. We never made it there! It was a long walk from the UPS bag check
area. Therre may have been a band in the village area but we were quite content
with the hippie musicians who were playing at the Budweiser area.
The was a pig roasting on a large outdoor grill but the actual barbeque was
being prepared somewhere else. Due to the way the sun was shining, we were
standing behind the stage area and listening to the music. It was too cold in
the shade!
All good things must come to an end and we finally made our way to the shuttle
buses so we could get back to our car which was parked at the YMCA. There was
very little waiting time. Many half folks had left the area. Full marathon
finishers were coming in one after another but we couldn't take beer to the
spectator area. I would have liked to see the marathon finishers coming down
the chute. It just wasn't set up that way. But there was plenty of spectator
support along the way.
Overall, a good race experience. It's definitely something I would do again but
as long as the Richmond and OBX races fall on the same weekend, there will
always be a conflict. I think the logistics were good. There was plenty of
watger/gatorade, etc. I think running across the sound over the last few miles
was the best part of the course.
I knew around mile 5 that I might be able to break two hours. I had established
a 2:04 time goal and was carrying the split times for that time goal. I felt
very good and after running ahead of bob, I was able to make up some of the
time I lost at the beginning. I think this was the first time I ran true
negative splits for the last few miles in a double-digit race (9:27 is a 2:04
pace for the half marathon):
110:08 (with bob)
2 9:50 (with bob)
3 8:55 (had to leave bob )
4 9:06
5 8:56
6 8:55
7 8:57
8 8:46
9 8:42
10 8:46
11 8:24
12 8:12
13 8:09
I think I remember Bob saying he would run the full marathon next year if only
someone would pace him....
Friday Starbucks Run at 6:00 a.m.
November 08, 2007
Come on out for an easy 3 miler. It's almost light by the time we finish.
See ya (maybe) on the streets,
Tom
See ya (maybe) on the streets,
Tom
Free Ashland Track Club t-shirt
November 08, 2007
... to the first person who comments to this message!
See ya on the streets,
Tom
See ya on the streets,
Tom
First Annual, Most Unofficial, Ashland Turkey Trot
November 07, 2007
For those of you that would like to burn some calories before settling down for a feast, we're going to have an "unofficial" Turkey trot on Thanksgiving in Ashland. There is a official Turkey Trot out at U of R, details at www.rrrc.org, so by all means do that one if you can. If you are interested, send me an email at tom.grant@comcast.net, so I'll have an idea of how many runners to expect.
Details of the Ashland Turkey Trot are below:
Thursday - November 22 - 9:00 - "First Ever, Most Unofficial Ashland Turkey Trot" - Carter Park (Ashland Pool) 10K 5K & kids 1/2 mile & 1 mile - if you're going to be in town, come down to Carter Park Thanksgiving morning -
10K will start at 9:00 - 5K at 9:15 - Kids runs at 10:30. 10K & 5K will follow the Ashland Harvest Run routes -NO ROAD CLOSURES - so you'll have dodge your way through the traffic crossing Ashcake & 54 (kids races on the
paths behind the pool). Winners will have the race named after them next year. Volunteers needed to watch kids while adults run (you will be handsomely rewarded). Prize to family with the most out-of-town relatives participating & the runner who traveled the furthest. All runners responsible for recording there own time.
Results will be published on http://www.townhound.com/blog/run.php. More details as the race gets closer.
T-shirts??
See ya on the streets,
Tom
Details of the Ashland Turkey Trot are below:
Thursday - November 22 - 9:00 - "First Ever, Most Unofficial Ashland Turkey Trot" - Carter Park (Ashland Pool) 10K 5K & kids 1/2 mile & 1 mile - if you're going to be in town, come down to Carter Park Thanksgiving morning -
10K will start at 9:00 - 5K at 9:15 - Kids runs at 10:30. 10K & 5K will follow the Ashland Harvest Run routes -NO ROAD CLOSURES - so you'll have dodge your way through the traffic crossing Ashcake & 54 (kids races on the
paths behind the pool). Winners will have the race named after them next year. Volunteers needed to watch kids while adults run (you will be handsomely rewarded). Prize to family with the most out-of-town relatives participating & the runner who traveled the furthest. All runners responsible for recording there own time.
Results will be published on http://www.townhound.com/blog/run.php. More details as the race gets closer.
T-shirts??
See ya on the streets,
Tom
Ashland Running
November 06, 2007
Hello,
We had a great turn-out for the Ashland Harvest Run. It was a little warmer than last year, but still a nice day for running. There were 74 runners in the 10K and 63 for the 5K. If you are new to running, this is a great race to put on your calendar for next year. Bryan Cline won his age group.
Well, it's marathon weekend here in the Richmond area. The weather is looking a lot better than last year. If you're running, good luck! Sandy Cullen is running her first marathon, so if you see her this week, wish her well. If you're spectating, I think the best place to watch is Ginter park area (about mile 21), you don't have to get up too early & it's easy access.
A group of us Ashlanders are headed down to Nags Head to run the Outer Banks Half Marathon this Sunday (there's a marathon too, but we don't have any takers for that distance). It should be fun. Maybe Dave will do another post race summary, & I'll post it.
We've got a full schedule in the next couple of months, there is race or event just about every weekend. Contact me if you have kids interested in running, tom.grant@comcast.net.
See ya on the streets,
Tom
We had a great turn-out for the Ashland Harvest Run. It was a little warmer than last year, but still a nice day for running. There were 74 runners in the 10K and 63 for the 5K. If you are new to running, this is a great race to put on your calendar for next year. Bryan Cline won his age group.
Well, it's marathon weekend here in the Richmond area. The weather is looking a lot better than last year. If you're running, good luck! Sandy Cullen is running her first marathon, so if you see her this week, wish her well. If you're spectating, I think the best place to watch is Ginter park area (about mile 21), you don't have to get up too early & it's easy access.
A group of us Ashlanders are headed down to Nags Head to run the Outer Banks Half Marathon this Sunday (there's a marathon too, but we don't have any takers for that distance). It should be fun. Maybe Dave will do another post race summary, & I'll post it.
We've got a full schedule in the next couple of months, there is race or event just about every weekend. Contact me if you have kids interested in running, tom.grant@comcast.net.
See ya on the streets,
Tom